5 Ways To Ace Phone Interviews

Spend all your time preparing for the face-to-face interview and you may not move past the phone interview step.

"When you just say you're good at something, you're leaving it up to the interviewer to believe you or not," she said. "But when you tell them a story where you're showing why you're good at something, you leave the interviewer no choice other than to arrive at that conclusion themselves."

Another tip: Scorsone recommends reviewing the job description and making a list of the characteristics and skills that the ideal candidate would have. Then think of experiences you've had that embody those skills or characteristics and write down examples that you can use in the interview.

4. Prepare Your Surroundings

Before the interview, make sure your surroundings are conducive to talking privately and won't pose distractions. If possible, use a landline to prevent the hassle of mobile phone calls dropping, and be sure you have a hard copy of your resume on hand in case you need to jog your memory.

5. Follow Up

Whether you send a thank-you note will make or break your interview, Scorsone says. Resist sending a typical boilerplate thank-you note, too. Make it personal.

"Make your thank-you note stand out by referencing something about the conversation you just had, such as something you learned about the company. This makes the interviewer relive the conversation they just had and will remind them of how impressive you were," she said.

If you were asked a question that you didn't answer to the best of your ability, the thank-you note is a good place to address that. "You can say, 'I was so excited about our conversation and I realized I didn't answer that question as best as I could,'" Scorsone said. "This is a good way to show them how passionate you are about that topic and the position."

Make sure you're prompt in sending the note, Scorsone advised. Try to message the person within the first two hours of the interview. Following up with a hand-written letter can't hurt, either: Keep it simple and reiterate your passion for the role and your excitement to meet the interviewer face-to-face.